Written by Amal Murni & a collaboration with Dukegang
Hello hello! This week, we are closing the two-weeks window (temporarily) for the features on Bruneian independent Hip Hop artists and rappers with two posts, first being today's Spotlight segment of an introduction to the three men behind Dukegang. As for the second feature, it shall remain a mystery, so keep your eyes peeled for that one!
Dukegang
"Dukegang consists of three members: Adinosaur, Yung Mung and MNDO. Collectively, we've all been very passionate about music regardless of genre. Growing up as individuals, we all got into music at our own pace but we came together during a stage in our lives where reciting other artists' songs just wasn't cutting it anymore. It all started out from hanging out as a group of friends, freestyling over beats on Youtube for fun to freestyling over Adin's beats and realising the potential that we had."
"Having each other in this environment was truly something that pushed every single one of us to go further than simply spitting bars for the fun of it."
"We are more than blessed to go through the trials and tribulations, especially for a group that is new to the scene. One of the challenges we've faced as a group was really when we performed at Beat Culture 2, with no official songs released at the time. Seeing the love not only from the crowd but also from other local talents was definitely something that boosted our motivation to really make something out of our hobby. Having built up a certain level of hype from that event was surely a huge challenge for us to live up to, especially with the mixtape."
"The process in making our first debut mixtape was honestly a long time coming. As a collective, whether it be professional or not, we've been the type to just go off freestyling for the fun of it. So with Dukegang mixtape Volume 1, it really was nothing but a translation of the same energy and fun of the times when we were freestyling for fun. That being said, it was also a huge learning experience for us all – to see our hobby turn into something tangible like a mixtape was truly surreal. Making a mixtape wasn’t as easy as any of us expected. We had alot of concerns before releasing the album but we were still proud and excited about it."
"We wanted to share this passion that comes into creating all these pieces of music that you guys have heard, and that you will continue to hear, as we believe that more than anything we have some truly talented artists in Brunei, and that we wish to inspire other artist to share their musics and continue to push to create."
For more Dukegang:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dukegvng
Instagram: @dukegvng_
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